In Praise of Charlize Theron, Wielder of Hollywood's Most Lethal Side-Eye

No actor in Hollywood makes better use of having eyes than Charlize Theron. On screen, they flicker; they burn; they smolder; they're fiery and vulnerable all at once.

Who else can do this?

Or this?

Or this?

Or this?

Or this?

Today is Theron's 40th birthday. Her last few performances have been revelatory, to say the least: Mad Max: Fury Road and Young Adult are about as different as movies come these days, yet Theron's at the center of both, casually dropping these blink-and-you'll-miss-'em looks that might just destroy you if you they lasted any longer than a second or so.

And let's be clear, she doesn't have ordinary scowls. She's so far beyond the daggers you'll get for jumping the line at Starbucks before 9 a.m. on a Tuesday morning. That's some freshman-level Intro to Resting Bitch Face. Theron's got a Ph.D. in side-eye. Anyone who acts alongside her must proceed with caution.